17 June 2015 We are proud to have published one of the most comprehensive assessments of the 2014 vintage (and 2013 reds) you are likely to find online. This is a guide to our coverage, which includes more than 460 tasting notes.
Most nations, Germany included, are prey to national stereotypes. While 'German engineering' is a phrase uttered with awe by anyone owning a BMW or Mercedes (one has to justify the price and annual service bills), so the phrase 'sun-lounger towels' is generally uttered in tones rather more sardonic.
Needless to say the reality is that life – and Germans – are not nearly that easily packed up in boxes, and so it is with 2014 and our coverage of it. For a start, it's not all about 2014. While many of the tasting notes come from the VDP Weinbörse, billed as 'a comprehensive debut of the new vintage', many of the newly released red wines and some of the oaked whites we review are from 2013, or even 2012 or 2011. Other tasting notes have come from my travels in Germany, merchant tastings in London, and wines on current portfolios (not just new releases) as well as older vintages for interest.
Even though 2014 was plagued by sinister insects and described by observers as 'lightweight', the year has clearly been fantastic, if not perfect, for some producers. The Baden boys, for example, are smiling. Others had to work very hard to save what little was left on the vines. Flyweight, bantamweight, featherweight, or just a vintage to make the winemaker sweat, we present our views and reviews on the state of play in the world of German wine.
The photo above is of a slate-dominated vineyard in the Ahr Valley, admittedly a little underrepresented in our coverage.
Red GGs – mainly 2014s (Tasting articles) 28 September 2016
Ahr reds – mainly 2014s (Tasting articles) 25 May 2016
Some astounding 2013 Grosses Gewächs reds (Tasting articles) 1 October 2015
Grosses Gewächs 2014 – whites other than Rieslings (Tasting articles) 23 September 2015
Grosses Gewächs 2014 – Pfalz, Rheingau and Rheinhessen Rieslings (Tasting articles) 15 September 2015
Grosses Gewächs 2014 – Nahe and Mosel Rieslings (Tasting articles) 11 September 2015
The annual GG tasting – no empty seats now (Don't quote me) 11 September 2015
German superstars of today and tomorrow (Tasting articles) 25 August 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Bernkasteler Ring (Tasting articles) 7 July 2015
Germany 2013 and more – the reds (Tasting articles) 24 June 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Rheingau (Tasting articles) 23 June 2015
Schmidt on Sponti (Don't quote me) 22 June 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Baden, Pfalz, Württemberg and Sachsen (Tasting articles) 22 June 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Nahe (Tasting articles) 19 June 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Rheinhessen (Tasting articles) 18 June 2015
Germany – the truth about 2014 (Inside information) 17 June 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Franken (Tasting articles) 17 June 2015
Germany 2014 and more – Mosel (Tasting articles) 16 June 2015
Wild night in Wiesbaden (Don't quote me) 15 Jun 2015 and, as a Throwback Thursday, 30 July 2015
The WineBarn 15 years on (Tasting articles) 15 June 2015
Germany 2014 – the year of the fly (Inside information) 9 December 2014
